Life and Works of Jose Rizal
when my mother gave birth to Jose. I recall it
RIZAL’S BIRTH AND FAMILY
Rizal’s Birth
Jose Rizal - Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
Realonda
- born at about midnight on Wednesday, June 19,
1861 in Calamba, Laguna
- seventh of the eleven children of Don Francisco
Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonso
- after three days, on June 22, 1861 he was baptized
in a Catholic Church and was named Jose in honor of
San Jise (St. Joseph)
- Fr. Rufino Collantes, parish priest who baptized
Rizal and noticed the unusual size of Rizal’s head. He
told his parents to take care of him because someday
he will become a great man.
Rizal’s Parents
Don Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado - born in
Biñan, Laguna on April 18, 1818 and died in Manila
- youngest of the 13 offspring’s of Juan and Cirila
Mercado
- he moved to Calamba and became a tenant-farmer
of Hacienda de Calamba, a land owned by the
Dominicans
- characterized as a hard-working, strong-willed and
independent-minded man who talked less but worked
more
- a man who could not easily be deceived nor
influenced
- a “valiant in spirit” which Rizal had inherited, strong
character and well-educated having studied Latin and
Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila
- “model of fathers” according to Rizal
Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda - born in Santa
Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in 1913
in Manila
- second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de
Quintos
- grew up and studied at the College of Sta. Rosa,
Laguna
- business-minded woman, courteous, religious,
hard-working and well-read
- described as a woman possessing a refine culture
and a very good character, strong spirit, literary and
mathematical intelligence
- knew literature well and spoke Spanish fluently
- truly a “remarkable woman”
- suffered the greatest pain during the delivery of her
seventh child, Jose
Narcisa recalled: I was nine years of age
vividly because my mother suffered great
pain. She labored for a long time. Her pain
was later attributed to the fact that Jose’s
head was bigger than normal” (as cited in
“Lola Lolay: 2013, para. 8)
MERCADO’S CHILDREN
Saturnina - eldest of the Mercado’s siblings
- fondly called as Neneng
- studied in La Concordia College in Sta. Ana,
Manila
- married to Manuel T. Hidalgo, a native of
Tanawan, Batangas
Paciano - older brother whom Rizal called “uto”
and his second father
- accompanied Rizal when he enrolled in schools
- after the revolution, he had lived in his farm in
Los, Baños
- died an old bachelor at the age of 79
- survived by his mistress, Severina Decena, a
boy and a girl
Note: Enraged by the death of GomBurZa and
the sentiments of his younger brother, Jose, he
joined the Philippine Revolution and became a
combat general
Narcisa - second girl in the family and nickname
was Sisa
- a school teacher of Morong, Bataan
- married Antonio Lopez, a nephew of Father
Leoncio Lopez
Olimpia - third girl among the children and was
called as Ypia
- married to Silvestre Ubaldo, telegraph operator
from Manila
Lucia - fifth child
- married to Mariano Herbosa of Calamba,
Laguna
- her husband died of cholera and was denied a
Christian burial because he was a brother-in-law
of Jose Rizal
Maria - nickname wa Biang
- married Daniel Faustino Cruz from Biñan,
Laguna
- she was who Jose told that he was marrying
Josephine Bracken
Jose - greatest Filipino hero and genius
- called Pepe
- lived with Josephine Bracken, an Irish girl from
Hong Kong
- had a son by her who died a few hours after he
was born
- named his son Francisco, after his father’s name
Concepcion - nickname was Concha
- died when she was only three years old, was
Jose’s first sorrow
Josefa - nickname was Panggoy
- died an old maid at the age of 80
Trinidad - nickname was Trining
- died an old maid at the age of 83
Soledad - youngest of the Mercado’s siblings and
nickname was Choleng
- married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba
The Surname Rizal
- had their forefathers not adopted other names,
Jose and Paciano could have been known as
“Lamco” and not Rizal and or Mercado brothers
“Mercado” - Chinese merchant Domingo Lamco,
paternal great-great grandfather adopted the
surname
- means “market”
- Paciano was a student at the College of San
Jose, he used Mercado as his last name.
Because he had gained notoriety with his links
to Father Burgos (of GomBurZa), he
suggested that Jose use the surname Rizal
for Jose’s own safety
Note: Commenting on using the name “Rizal at
Ateneo, Jose once wrote: “My family never paid
much attention [to our second surname Rizal, but
now I had to use it, thus giving me the
appearance of an illegitimate child!” (as cited in
Arriza, 2012, para. 8)
The name Paciano to be used by his brother had
become so well known by 1891, the year Jose
finished his El Filibusterismo. As Jose wrote to a
friend. “All my family now carry the name Rizal
instead of Mercado because the name Rizal
means persecution! Good! I too want to join them
and be worthy of this family name… (as cited in
Arriza, 2012, para. 8)
“Rizal” - originally “Ricial”, means “the green of
young growth or ‘green fields’
- Jose’s father, Francisco who eventually became
primarily a farmer, adopted the surname
- suggested by a provincial governor who was a
friend of the family
- the name caused confusion in the commercial
affairs of the family.
- Don Francisco settled on the name “Rizal
Mercado” as a compromise, and often just used
his more known surname “Mercado”
Rizal’s Birth
1848 - his parents decided to build a home in this
town in Laguna, southern Luzon.
Calamba - derived from kalan banga, which
means “clay stove” (kalan) and “water jag”
(banga)
Jose’s adoration of its scenic beauty -
punctuated by the sights of the Laguna de Bay,
Mount Makiling palm-covered mountains, curvy
hills, and green fields was recorded in the poem
he would later write at Ateneo de Manila in 1876.
- Un Reccuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My
Town)
Note: If Rizal’s poem were written today he might
mention the three-floor SM mall, shopping centers
and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)
terminus in the place.
A city since 2001, Calamba is said to have earned
the nickname “Resort Capital of the Philippines”
for its more than 600 resorts in the place today.
First massive stone house (or bahay na bato) -
in Calamba was the birthplace of our national
hero
- rectangular two-storey building, built of adobe
stones and solid wood, with sliding Capiz
windows, ground floor was made of lime and
stone, second floor of hardwood, except for the
roof made of red tiles
- an azotea and a water reservoir at the back
- its architectural style and proximity to the church
implied Rizal’s family wealth and political influence
Childhood of a Phenom
Phenom - someone who is exceptionally talented
or admired, especially an up-and-corner
- Rizal especially during his childhood, was none
less than a phenom
Rizal’s Memory
- in his infancy, his happy days in their family
garden when he was 3 years old. Their courtyard
contained tropical fruit trees. poultry yard. a
carriage house, and a stable for the ponies.
Because the young Pepe was weak, sickly, and
undersized, he was given the fondest care by
his parents, so his father built a nipa cottage for
Pepe to play in the daytime. Memory of his
infancy included the nocturnal walk in the town.
Especially when there was a moon. Jose also
recalled the aya (nursemaid) relating to the
Rizal children have some fabulous stories, like
those about the fairies, tales of buried treasure.
and trees blooming with diamonds. Another
childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer
in their home. Rizal recorded in his memoir that
by nightfall, his mother would gather all the
children in their home to pray the Angelus. At the
early age of three, he started to take a part in the
family prayers.
- When Concha died of sickness in 1865, Jose
mournfully wept at losing her. He later wrote in his
memoir, "When I was four years old. I lost my little
sister Concha and then for the first time I shed
tears caused by love and grief" (Memoirs of a
Student in Manila, nd).
- At the age of five. the young Pepe learned to
read the Spanish family Bible which he would
refer to later in his writings. Rizal himself
remarked that perhaps the education he received
since his earliest infancy was what had shaped
his habits (Memoirs of a Student' and. para. 3).
- As a child, Rizal loved to go to the chapel. pray
participate in novenas and join religious
processions. In Calamba, one of the men he
esteemed and respected was the scholarly
Catholic priest Leoncio Lopez, the town priest. He
used to visit him and listen to his inspiring
opinions on current events and thorough life views
- Also at the age of five. Pepe started to make
pencil sketches and mold in clay and wax objects.
which attracted his fancy. When he was about six
years old, his sisters once laughed at him for
spending much time making clay and wax
images.
Initially keeping silent, he then prophetically told
them "All right laugh at me now! Someday when I
die, people will make monuments and images of
me.”
- When Jose was seven years old, his father
provided him the exciting experience of riding a
"casco" (a flat-bottomed boat with a roof) on their
way to a pilgrimage in Antipolo. The pilgrimage
was to fulfill the vow made by Jose's mother to
take him to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo
should she and her child survive the ordeal
of delivery. which nearly caused her life. From
Antipolo, Jose and his father proceeded to Manila
to visit his sister Saturnina who was at the time
studying at the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.
- As a gift, the child Jose received a pony named
“Alipato" from his father (Bantug & Ventura. 1997,
p. 23). As a child, he loved to ride this pony or
take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore
with his black dog named Usman.
- The mother also induced Jose to love the arts,
literature, and the classics. Before he was
eight years old, he had written a drama (some
sources say "a Tagalog comedy) which was
performed at a local festival and for which the
municipal captain rewarded him with two pesos.
(Some references specify that it was staged in a
Calamba festival and that it was a gobernadorcillo
from Paete who purchased the manuscript for two
pesos.)
- Contrary to the "former" common knowledge
however. Rizal did not write the Filipino poem "Sa
Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata" (To My Fellow
Children). The poem was previously believed to
be Rizal's first written poem at the age of eight
and was said to have been published
posthumously many years after Rizal's death.
However, Jose had a preserved correspondence
(letters) with his brother Paciano admitting that he
(Jose) had only encountered the word kalayaan"
when he was already 21 years old.
- The young Rizal was also interested in magic.
He read many books on magic. He learned
different tricks. such as making a coin disappear
and making a handkerchief vanish in thin air.
Some other influences of Rizal's childhood
involved his three uncles: his Tio Jose Alberto
who inspired him to cultivate his artistic ability: his
Tio Manuel who encouraged him to fortify his frail
body through physical exercises: and his Tio
Gregorio who intensified Riza’s avidness to read
good books.
The Story of the Moth
- To impart essential life lessons, Lolay held
regular storytelling sessions with the young Rizal.
Doña Teodora loved to read to Pepe stories from
the book Amigo de los Niños (The Children's
Friend). One day, she scolded his son for making
drawings on the pages of the story book. To teach
the value of obedience to one's parents, she
afterward read him a story in it.
- Lolay chose the story about a daughter moth
who was warned by her mother against going too
near a lamp flame. Though the young moth
promised to comply. She later succumbed to the
pull of the light's mysterious charm. believing that
nothing bad would happen if she approached it
with caution. The moth then flew close to the
flame. Feeling comforting warmth at first, she
drew closer and closer bit by bit, until she flew too
close enough to the flame and perished.
- Pepe was watching a similar incident while he
was listening to the storytelling. Like a live
enactment, a moth was fluttering too near to the
flame of the oil lamp on their table. Not merely
acting out, it did fall dead as a consequence. Both
moths in the two tales paid the price of getting
near the fatal light. Many years later, Rizal himself
felt that the moths' tale could serve as an allegory
of his own destiny. (A good summary of Rizal's life
is presented in Appendix E: Jose Rizal: A
Biographical Outline) About himself, he wrote:
Years have passed since then. The child has
become a man. Steamships have taken him
across seas and oceans. He has received bitter
lessons from experience, much more bitter than
the sweet lessons that his mother gave him.
Nevertheless, he has preserved the heart of a
child. He still thinks that light is the most beautiful
thing in creation. and that it is worthwhile for a
man to sacrifice his life for it (as cited in "My First
Reminiscence: n.d. para. 9)
RIZAL’S EARLY STUDIES
Education in Calamba
Doña Teodora - Rizal’s first teacher
- showed how she was such a loving mother, and
that she even sacrificed her life for Rizal.
- Rizal expressed how he was grateful to have
her, "My mom taught me how to read and
say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised
fervently to God."
In Rizal's time, occasionally we see an
exceptionally highly educated woman of fine
culture, similar to Doña Teodora who had the
ability to teach Spanish, reading, poetry, and
values through uncommon story books. Lolay,
undoubtedly, was the first teacher of our hero -
teaching him Spanish, writing and correcting his
poems, and training him in rhetoric. On her lap,
Jose learned first the alphabet and reciting
catholic prayers at three years old, and learning to
read and write at five years old.
Beside his mother, Jose's sister Saturnina and
three maternal uncles also tutored him. His
uncle Jose Alberto encouraged him painting,
sketching, and modeling/ sculpture. Uncle
Gregorio impacted him to love reading. Uncle
Manuel, as far as concerns him, built up Jose's
physical skills in combative techniques, such as
wrestling.
To additional upgrade what he had learned,
private tutors were hired. In this manner,
Maestro Celestino and maestro Lucas Padua,
tutored him. Afterward, a previous colleague of
Don Francisco, Maestro Leon Monroy, became
his private tutor. He lived in the Mercado's home
to teach the kids, particularly Jose, assisted them
in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, Monroy died
after five months.
EDUCATION IN BIÑAN
- Rizal was subsequently sent to a private school
in Biñan. In June 1869, his sibling Paciano
carried him to the school of Maestro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz. The school was in the teacher's
home, a little nipa house close to the home of
Jose's auntie where he stayed. In Rizal's own
words, his teacher "knew by the heart the
grammars by Nebrija and Gainza."
- In their first meeting, he was asked by Maetro
Cruz: “Do you know Spanish?”
He replied, “A little, sir.”
“Do you know Latin?”
“A little, sir.”
- Along these lines, his schoolmates, particularly
the teacher's son Pedro, giggled at the newcomer.
So later in that day, Jose tested the domineering
jerk Pedro to a battle. Having taken in wrestling
from his Uncle Manuel, the more youthful and
littler Jose crushed his victimizer.
- After the class, he had an arm-wrestling match
with his schoolmate Andres Salandanan. In that
match, nonetheless, Jose lost and even nearly
broke his head on the walkway. - In the next days,
Jose said to have different battles with Biñan
boys. For his fights, he in any case got numerous
whippings and blows on the open palm from his
stickler teacher.
- Rizal probably won't have won every one of his
fights however he, by the by, beat all Biñan boys
scholastically in Spanish, Latin, and numerous
different subjects. After at some point, Jose told
his father that he had just taken in all the subjects
taught in Biñan. Don Francisco reproved Jose and
hustled him back to the school. Maestro Cruz,
Jose's instructor in Biñan, later affirmed, that Jose
had completed effectively all the required
curricular works. Notwithstanding his wife’s
hesitance, Don Francisco at that point chose to
send Jose to a school in Manila.
- Jose Rizal’s first teacher was his mother, Doña
Teodora, who taught him Spanish and literature.
He was also aided by his eldest sibling, Saturnina,
his Uncles Jose Alberto, Gregorio and Manuel.
The Mercado’s hired him tutors in the persons of
Maestro Celestino, Maestro Padua, and Maestro
Monroy. In 1869, he was sent to Biñan to further
his studies. He was accepted by Maestro Cruz,
who taught him Spanish, Latin and other subjects.
Rizal’s Teachers
- Doña Teodora (how to read and say haltingly the
humble prayers which I raised fervently to God)
Spanish, reading, poetry and values
- learned the first alphabet, recited the Catholic
prayers, and learned to read and write
- Saturnina (basics of education)
- His uncles: Jose Alberto, Manuel, Gregorio
- Maestros Celestino, Padua & Monroy
- Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz (Latin and Spanish)
RIZAL’S HIGHER EDUCATION AND LIFE
ABROAD
Education in Manila
- Don Francisco decided to send Jose to study in
Manila. In June 1872, Jose accompanied
by Paciano found a boarding house in Intramuros.
Later, Jose transferred to a house on Calle
Carballo in Santa Cruz. After a year, again, he
transferred to a house in No. 6 Calle Magallanes.
After two years, he was already an intern at
Ateneo and stayed there until he finished his
Bachelor in Artes.
Education at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila
- There is a claim that from Biñan school, Rizal
studied at Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
The alleged story expressed that subsequent to
going to his classes for right around a quarter of a
year in Letran, Jose was asked by the Dominican
friars to took another school in light of his
extremist and bold questions.
- In any case, standard life stories concur that
Rizal just took the entrance examination in
that institution, however Don Francisco sent him
to enlist rather in Ateneo Municipal de Manila
in June 1872. Run by the Jesuits (Society of
Jesus), Ateneo maintained strict guidance,
progressed instruction, inflexible control, physical
culture, and development of human expressions,
similar to music, drawing, and painting.
- Paciano found a boarding house in Intramuros
yet Jose later moved to the place of an old
maid arranged on Calle Caraballo in the Santa
Cruz area. There he got familiar with different
mestizos who were supposed to be generated by
ministers.
- To support sound rivalries, classes at the Ateneo
were partitioned into two groups, which
continually contended with one another. One
group, named the Roman Empire, involved the
interns (boarders) while the other one, the
Carthaginian Empire, comprised of the externs
(non-boarders). Inside a realm, individuals were
likewise in constant rivalry as they competed for
the highest levels called dignitaries – Emperor,
being the most noteworthy position, trailed by
Tribune, Decurion, Centurion, and
Standard-Bearer, separately. At first positioned at
the tail of the class as a newcomer, Jose was
soon constantly advanced – that soon after a
month, he had become an Emperor, accepting a
religious picture as a cost.
- At the point when the term finished, he achieved
the mark of "excellent" in all subjects and in
examinations. The subsequent year, Jose moved
to No. 6 Calle Magallanes. He acquired an award
toward the finish of that scholarly term. In the third
year, he won prizes in the quarterly examinations.
The next year, his parents put him as an intern
(boarding understudy) in the school and remained
there until his graduation. Toward the finish of the
school year, he accumulated five awards, with
which he said he could to some degree
compensate his dad for his penances. On March
23, 1877, he got the Bachelor en Artes degree,
graduating as one of the nine students proclaimed
"sobresaliente" or outstanding.
- A portion of his cleric educators at the Ateneo
were Jose Bech, a man with temperament swings
and fairly a crazy person and of a lopsided humor;
Francisco de Paula Sanchez, an upstanding,
sincere, and caring instructor whom Rizal thought
about his best teacher; Jose Vilaclara; and a
specific Mineves. At the Ateneo, Rizal developed
his ability in verse, put forth a concentrated effort
normally to gymnastics, and gave time to painting
and sculptor. Don Augustin Saez, another
teacher, altogether guided him in drawing and
painting, and the Filipino Romauldo de Jesus
affectionately trained him in design.
Education at the Universidad de Santo Tomas
- In 1877, Rizal joined up with the University of
Santo Tomas, taking up Philosophy and Letters.
Simultaneously, be that as it may, he took at the
Ateneo a land surveyor’s degree (expert
surveyor), a vocational course. He completed his
surveyor's course in 1877, finished the licensing
examination in May 1878 however the license
was given to him just in 1881 when he arrived at
the majority age.
- Following a year at UST, Jose changed course
and tried out Medicine to have the option to cure
his mother’s growing blindness because of
cataract. Being burnt out on separation by the
Dominican educators against Filipino students, he
in any case quit going to classes at UST in 1882.
It is advantageous to take note of that one more
explanation behind Rizal's not finishing medicine
at UST was that the strategy for education was
old and repressive.
- In the event that records were precise, Rizal had
taken of 19 subjects in UST and completed
them with varied grades, running from excellent to
fair. Prominently, he got excellent marks in all
subjects in the Philosophy and Letters course.
Education in Europe
- On May 3, 1882, Rizal left for Spain and
selected Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at
the Universidad Central de Madrid on November
3. On some days of November 1884, Rizal was
engaged with the tumultuous students’
demonstrations by the Central University students
in which many were injured, captured, and
detained. The dissent rallies began after Dr.
Miguel Morayta had been banned by bishops for
conveying a liberal discourse, broadcasting the
opportunity of science and the teachers, at the
opening ceremony of the academic year.
- In June of 1884, Rizal got the Licentiate in
Medicine at 23 years old. His rating however
was simply "fair" for it was influenced by the "low"
grades he got from UST. In the following school
year (1884-1885), he took and finished three
additional subjects prompting the Doctor of
Medicine degree. He was not granted the Doctor’s
diploma however for neglecting to pay the
expense and the necessary thesis. Precisely at
his 24th birthday celebration, the Madrid
University granted him the level of Licentiate in
Philosophy and Letters with the grade of
"excellent" (sobresaliente).
- Needing to fix his mother's propelling blindness,
Rizal went to Paris. He was said to have gone to
the talks of Dr. Otto Becker and Professor
Wilhelm Kuehne at the University of Heidelberg.
He likewise worked at the University Eye Hospital
under the direction of Dr. Becker. Under the
course of this prestigious German
ophthalmologist, Rizal had figured out how to
utilize then the recently developed
ophthalmoscope (designed by Hermann von
Helmholtz), which he later used to work on his
mother's eye. In Heidelberg, the 25-year-old Rizal
finished his eye specialization.
- A while later, Rizal spent three months in the
adjacent town, Wilhemsfeld, where he wrote
the last few chapters of Noli Me Tangere. He
remained at the peaceful place of a sort
Protestant minister, Dr. Karl Ulmer, the entire
family of whom turned into Rizal's old buddies.
In August 1886, he went to lectures on history
and psychology at the University of Leipzig. In
November 1886, he arrived at Berlin, the
popular city where he worked as a right hand
in Dr. Schweigger's clinic and gone to lectures
at the University of Berlin.
- In Berlin, he was enlisted as a member of the
Berlin's "Ethnological Society," "Anthropological
Society," "Geographical Society." In April 1887, he
was invited to deliver a speech in German before
the "Ethnographic Culture" of Berlin on the
orthography and structure of Tagalog language.
- In Germany, Rizal met and become a close
acquaintance with the renowned academicians
and researchers at that time. Among them were
Prof. Friedrich Ratzel, a German historian; Dr.
Hanz Meyer, a German anthropologist; Dr. Feodor
Jagor, the writer of “The Travels in the
Philippines,” which Rizal had read as a student in
Manila; Dr. Rudolf Virchow, a German
anthropologist; and Rudolf's child, Dr. Hans
Virchow, Descriptive Anatomy Professor.
- Particularly after the hero's martyrdom, these
people who were prestigious personalities in the
academe in Germany as well as in Europe were
glad to such an extent that once in their lives, they
had known the great Filipino named Jose Rizal.
A La Juventud Filipina (To The Filipino Youth)
- He submitted this poem for a poetry contest
which had been organized by the Manila Lyceum
of Art and Literature in 1879
- Rizal’s poetry stunned the Spanish-speaking
Board of Judges, who gave him first place and the
following prizes
❖ A silver pen (feather-shaped and decorated
with gold)
❖ A diploma
- It was considered classic Philippine literature
because it was the first Spanish poem written by a
Filipino and was approved by a Spanish literary
authority
- It states that the Filipinos, not the Spaniards,
were the “fair hope of the Fatherland”
- It is a poem that affirms the greatness of the
Filipino people. It exhorts the young of the
Philippines to realize their potential by using their
skills and talents for the benefit of their fellow
citizens. It inspires young people to seek freedom
and human dignity and to liberate Filipinos from
ignorance.
To the Filipino Youth
Raise your unruffled brow
On this day, Filipino youth!
Resplendent shines
Your courage rich,
Handsome hope of my motherland!
Fly, grand genius
And infuse them with noble sentiment
That vigorously rushes,
More rapid than the wind,
Its virgin mind to the glorious goal.
Descend to the arena
With the pleasant light of arts and sciences,
And unbind, Youth,
The heavy chain
That fetters your poetic genius.
See that in the bright zone
With pious and learned hand,
Offers the son of this native land
Resplendent crown.
You who ascend
On wings of your rich fantasy,
Seeking from Olympus in the clouds
Tenderest poetry,
Sweeter than nectar and ambrosia;
You of the celestial accent,
Melodious rival of the nightingale,
Who with varied melodies
Dissipate the mortal’s bitter pain
In the night serene;
You who animate the hand rock
With the impulse of your mind,
And with prepotent hand makes eternal
The pure memory
Of the refulgent genius;
And you, who with magic brushes
Are wont to transfer to simple canvas
The varied enchantment of Phoebus, beloved of
Apollo divine,
And the mantle of nature.
Run! For the sacred flame
Of the genius awaits to be crowned with laurels,
Spreading fame
With trumpet proclaiming
O’er the wide sphere the mortal’s name.
Day, oh happy day,
Philippines genteel, for your soil!
Bless the Almighty,
Who with loving desire
Sends you fortune and consolation.